The Athletic covers live Spurs vs. Knicks in the 2025 NBA Cup final.
LAS VEGAS — The monetary reward that comes with advancing in the NBA Cup fuels Jalen Brunson, but not for the reasons you might think.
The Knicks superstar guard has a lot of money. His NBA salary is enough to support several generations of Brunsons. That doesn’t even include his endorsements. Any item Brunson wants to splurge on, he can. He doesn’t need to advance all the way or win the NBA Cup to get there.
Money fuels Brunson because of what he can do for other people in the New York organization, people who are like you and me. Only the core players and head coach receive the $530,000 associated with winning the NBA Cup – second places receive around $212,000 and quarterfinalists just north of $50,000.
Not all coaches earn a piece of the pie, and only two-way players get a certain percentage. Trainers, massage therapists, nutritionists and even PR personnel get nothing. It’s the people on the periphery who help ensure Brunson can play at a high level and make enough money to take care of generations.
These people matter to Brunson.
“We have a lot of guys and coaches that don’t make as much as some guys on this team, so that’s an added bonus for them as well,” Brunson said. “You’re not just playing for yourself, you’re playing for a whole team.”
So, as a player who is lucky enough to win a lot of money, have you talked to other players in the same boat about the need to take care of those who don’t get money from your winnings?
“Yes, we did it,” Brunson said during the NBA Cup press briefing Monday (not all players were made available to the media). “Thanks for ruining the surprise.”
For the vast majority of NBA players, $530,000 is no reason to be dismissive. For some, this can be between a quarter and half of the money players make each year. Yes, relatively speaking, that’s still a lot of money, but for someone like Tyler Kolek, a 2024 second-round pick, that money goes further than it does for someone like Karl-Anthony Towns.
Before taxes, Kolek earns just over $2 million per season. After taxes, that figure is almost cut in half, making NBA Cup prize money a fairly significant portion of his annual salary.
Last season, when the Knicks reached the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup, a benchmark that gave players just over $50,000, Kolek used that extra income to buy his mother a car for Christmas.
“Now this time my father might want something,” he said.
Josh Hart is doing well financially. He has earned $10 million per year over the past five seasons. However, the Knicks’ best NBA Cup run since its debut comes at a good time for the veteran.
In September, Hart was robbed while staying at the Dominick Hotel in SoHo. Three watches and jewelry worth approximately $185,000 were stolen from his bedroom.
“I’m going to buy a watch,” said Hart, an avid watch collector and wearer. “I got robbed in September without a gun. I lost three watches, so I need to start replacing them. We’re in Las Vegas. If I put it on a blackjack hand, I might be able to double it and get more watches.”
Towns plans to donate his money to help the people of the Dominican Republic. Towns, who was born in New Jersey but plays internationally for the Dominican Republic due to his late mother’s roots, earned approximately $300 million in NBA salary.
“Honestly, I’ll probably give it to the Dominican Republic,” Towns said. “They have ‘Go Sports,’ ‘Go Ministries’ there. I feel very confident knowing that the money will go there and take care of the kids in the Dominican Republic that I would like to win so I can give them more money and help the community there.”
Some players said they weren’t yet sure what they would do with the money. Mitchell Robinson said he was going to save his. “Maybe,” he added later. Mikal Bridges joked that he might try to buy one of Mitchell Robinson’s trucks. OG Anunoby doesn’t know what he will do with his money.
However, NBA veteran Jordan Clarkson, who is currently on a vet minimum contract, knows what he’s going to do with his winnings.
“I’ll pay my rent, fa sho,” Clarkson said with a smile. “They can have it all.”
The NBA Cup may still be finding its feet as to how it should operate and how it is perceived. However, one positive that is hard to argue with is that, for some people, it offers a life-changing opportunity. Yes, the rich are getting richer. Yet for the workers in the background, the lower-level coaches and even the players at the end of the bench who fight every night for a living, it’s just another example of how humanity in sports deserves to be cherished.
“It’s a great opportunity, especially for young people,” Bridges said. “They’re just starting out in the league. It’s a way to make money. I think it’s really good for them.”
